June 21st started off as a stunning Bozeman, Montana summer day at The Ponds at Dry Creek. This Gallatin Valley wedding venue captures the true Montana Beauty with gorgeous views of all the mountains that surround the valley. Though the massive willow trees that line the property are very attractive, you will see in the pictures below why this venue is know as the ponds!

The sweet bride, Haley, and her closest friends got ready in the rustic bridal suite located on the venue property. As the ladies got ready, the room was filled with laughter, story telling, and the must have Spotify playlist, All Out 00s.

Haley had the details of her day very well thought out and it was so fun to capture all the colors she incorporated, especially in her bouquet, made by Budget Bouquet!

Once the ladies were all gussied up, we stepped outside to get some fun shots in these adorable floral robes, and do a mimosa cheers to the day.

Then it was time for one of the most special times of the day- slipping into the white dress.

Once all the accessories are on and the dress is fitting flawlessly, I like to ease some of the emotions by doing the bridal portrait session. Haley was so stunning in her After 5 and Weddings dress and veil- I could have spent hours on her bridal portraits!! As we began the portraits, the unpredictable Montana weather hit and it began to pour rain. Haley, being the most laid back bride, was okay with doing her portraits in the bridal suite..... Have I mentioned....she was STUNNING!

Meanwhile, the guys were just one pond away in their own cabin, getting all handsome for the day. The jokes were flying and old stories were being told. After 5 and Weddings made these groomsmen look very styling! (They also had the most adorable 8 year-old groomsmen!!)

When you get married in Montana, you can expect to be surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery. Most people expect to get the majestic mountain shots, with the baby blue skies and sunshine filling the air- I mean who wouldn't want that! But with the beautiful scenery comes some not so beautiful weather at times. As a Montana photographer, I have a plan A, B, C, and D ready to go for whatever comes our way on a wedding day.

Haley & Alex had planned their First Look to be on a peninsula that stretched out into one of the ponds, but with the thunderstorm passing, we decided the bridal suite was the best place. Though we did not get the scenic shots, these two had the most intimate First Look I've witnessed. After I got some images of their first moments of seeing each other, I left them to be alone. Every bride & groom needs a little time to be completely alone to take in their special day.

Going into the wedding day, I always have a timeline for when pictures are going to be done to insure the day goes smoothly. With the rain continuing to fall during the main part of the day set aside for pictures, we decided to wait out the rest of the pictures until the storms passed. Annnddd oh boy did those storms subside and bring us an amazing Bozeman, MT summer evening!

We were able to get the bride & groom portraits in before the ceremony began. We went out to the peninsula where the First look was planned to be and we got some amazing images with the ponds and willow trees surrounding the sweet bride & groom. The Ponds at Dry Creek, you never disappoint!

Then they were off to become hubby and wifey!!

​Alex & Haley began dating in high school at 15 years old. We all went to Belgrade High School and Montana State University together, so I was able to watch these two grow into the amazing couple they are today. I was so honored to capture the day that they committed to a lifetime together.

These two had so many amazing friends and family surrounding them on their day!

And they were off to the party!

My favorite part of this Bozeman wedding venue is the dance floor is a dock on one the ponds. It is magical!

Before this blog comes to an end, I need to mention that whenever a summer thunderstorm comes through, the Montana sunsets are absolutely incredible. Haley & Alex braved the rain, but it was worth it at the end of the day!

It was such an honor and privilege to capture this family and their forever portraits! There are so many stages of life in having children, raising them and then giving them wings to fly!

It was fun to reconnect with this family. We all went to church together many years ago and through a donation I made to the Montana State University rodeo team, we reconnected through this family session. Every year the MSU Rodeo team has a fundraiser called Cowboys & Candlelight. I love donating family portraits to the fundraiser and this year I was so excited to find out it was a family that I knew!

​We had so much fun shooting these portraits...so many laughs and a few cries! It was a pretty cool to document both the celebration of their oldest son being accepted into the Naval Academy and the sadness of saying goodbye. The proud parents and siblings all wore their Navy shirts in celebration of their brothers accomplishments. What an honor to be accepted into the Naval Academy!

Enjoy looking through this fun family session! I am still laughing at some of the sibling photos! From the high fives, to the piggy back rides to the hand stands and fake punches....it was sure entertaining with this sibling fun!

One of my dreams when I was thinking about opening up my studio was to work with women, teens and children who wanted to get into modeling or pageantry. I wanted to create an environment that would enhance their natural beauty both with natural light and studio lights.

Being a small business owner, I wanted to start small and find a studio space with a ton of natural light. Studio lights and equipment are very expensive, so I wanted to make sure that was the direction I wanted to go before making the investment. I am so glad I've allowed myself to work both, but with natural light first...to use every stream of light given to us by the rays of the sun is amazing and beautiful. I absolutely love both types of lighting, but natural light still amazes me...These images turned out just beautiful.

​One of the things I do at my studio is I take lots of different poses with different clothing options and backgrounds and then I use both natural light and studio lights. Then from there my clients get to pick their favorite images. These 3 of Brielle are all natural light.

I absolutely love working with women of all ages wether its to build a modeling portfolio or building your business brand. If your looking for headshots, modeling portraits or business branding portraits look no further. MAP studios also works some of the top hair and makeup artists in Bozeman to get you ready for your photoshoot!

​Mariah Allen Photography Studios & Associates is a wedding & portrait boutique studio located in beautiful Bozeman, Montana. Mariah Allen is one of Montana's top leading senior photographers and is also a nationally recognized and featured senior photographer. ​